Splinters

The good news is that I was wrong. Last month, I assumed the new book in English from Aharon Appelfeld The Story of a Life (translated by Aloma Halter, due in October) was a reissue of an earlier novel called Tzili: the story of a life. But it isn't; it's a new book entirely - a memoir, and as such something of a surprise. Tzili was begun as a memoir, I understand, but Appelfeld was able to continue only once the book became fiction, Tzili being a little girl.